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Recently
transferred from government to civilian ownership, the Baylander former
US Navy IX-514 Helicopter Landing Trainer (HLT) was built by Pacific
Coast Engineering Company. The HLT flight deck was designed to have a
Level 2, Class 3 aviation certification and was engineered to support
helicopters from all military services and government agencies.

Billed as the US Navy's "smallest aircraft carrier" it was until recently based in Pensacola, Florida. This 131-foot vessel has provided a cost-effective training platform for underway single-spot deck landing qualifications (both day and night ops) for the US Navy, Marine, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the National Guard from many states. It was designed to provide a deck with the same dimensions as an Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate. Since it began service as a helicopter trainer in 1986, it has completed 120,000 error-free helicopter landings, with the record being 346 landings in one day on June 10, 1988.